The Lancers B & B and Royal Tunbridge Wells

We spent three nights in the small city of Tunbridge Wells, at an awesome B & B called The Lancers.  Fortunately Gilly had given me the exact street address and some landmarks via email, because there was virtually no sign from the street that this was a B & B.  After squeezing into the tiny driveway, we saw the little bronze plaque next to the gate with the name of the property.

Hidden behind the fence was an absolutely beautiful property, which Gilly and Pam purchased from one of the stars of Dr. Who a few years ago.  (His name is on their website, but I'm afraid British TV is not a strong point of mine.)  If anyone is visiting Kent in the future, I can't recommend this place enough!  They have just two guest rooms, including the one we stayed in, which is in a small separate cottage in the garden.                    

                             

The city of Tunbridge Wells is also fabulous as a base for a few days.  We were easily able to reach Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and lots of the other gardens on our list, and the train into London's Charing Cross Station was less than a five minute walk from the B & B.  Tunbridge Wells offers great shopping, restaurants, the library with free internet access, etc.,etc.  Definitely a place worth looking into.

West Sussex Gardens

Since the plane landed at 7 AM, we weren't interested in spending our first day sleeping; as a result, we sort of "hit the ground running."  Our itinerary was a combination of the "really famous gardens," as well as those recommended by other bloggers and gardeners I know.  In the end, we were delighted in the mix of gardens we saw.  The schedule was pretty much based upon opening days for some of those gardens, and where in the country we would be.

Since we landed at Gatwick, the first place we went was Nyman's Garden, which is one of the National Trust properties (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/).  As Americans visiting the UK, one of the best things we did was joining The Royal Oak Society a couple of months ago.  If you're planning a trip to England, Scotland or Wales and will visit more than three Trust properties, the membership pays for itself.  I really liked this property! 

There are extensive areas for strolling, and the photo below shows the first view one gets of the garden.  As with all of the photos, click on them to go to full size.
                             
There's lots of information on the Trust site about Nyman's, but in short it's a very romantic property, built into the ruins of a Gothic mansion.  The Countess of Rosse lived there until she died in the early 90's, though it's been open as a Trust property since the 1950's.

 Perhaps my favorite part of the garden is the Walled Garden, with famous mixed borders (below).  All in all, it was a great first garden to visit.
                                  
Leaving Nyman's, the "Garmin Chick" directed us over the river and through the woods to Parham House.  I had chosen to visit this garden first because I had followed a series of articles written by the head gardener over a year in Fine Gardening magazine, and second, because the garden is largely geared toward cut flowers for the house, which is something I deal with at work on a daily basis.

When we got there, though, it was clear that the Garmin chick had made an error, since we saw this beautiful little cottage, above.  What turned out to be an awesome satellite mistake was that I had been directed to the gardener's cottage, and his wife was in the yard.  When she found out what happened, she directed us through the private road onto the estate....I was ecstatic at the twist!

The garden was really fabulous, and had lots of quirky surprises, like this life-sized sculpture under the apple tree.

What I really liked, however, was the human aspect, getting to spend a fair amount of time chatting with the gardeners, who were taking a break in a little hidden structure inside the walled garden.

Parham was really a fabulous house and garden, as well, and one I would recommend to other visitors.  It is privately owned and inhaabited, but open five days a week.  http://www.parham.co.uk/.  At this time of year, the lavender borders are just incredible!

By the time we made it to Brighton (Motel Schmotel), we really didn't want to do anything other than crash.  On the way to a fast dinner, I got a couple of good shots of the Royal Pavillion, against the storm clouds moving in. 

In hindsight, we should have allowed more time in Brighton, since there is much more to do there than one would initially expect from some of the travel websites.

The Yellow Book Arrived Today!

As part of the English trip planning, I ordered the Yellow Book from the National Gardens Scheme a couple of weeks ago, and it arrived today!  What a perfect way to spend my afternoon after work!

If you aren't familiar with the National Gardens Scheme, it's a pretty awesome program which features gardens all over England and Wales, most privately owned, which are open on a very limited basis to benefit the charity of the owner's choice.  All told, there are about 3700 gardens included, and the NGS has raised 25 million pounds for charity over the past ten years.  The individual owners typically pick dates when their respective gardens are looking their best, and will open up the garden to visitors for a nominal price, which goes to charity. The book is divided by county and open dates, so it's a great guide to have in the car when traveling through England.

Thank goodness we'll be there in September!  The Baron & Baroness Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh are opening their home, Dunsborough Park, for one day while we're in that area.  I have no idea who they are, but how could I NOT visit somebody with a name like that!? (I might need to buy another hat......)